Pacific Northwest 19, September 10, 2023

September 10 2023

Vol. VII • No. 19

Fishing for a Fix

Hamilton Scarsella JV Rebuilds First of Six Culverts in Wash.

A multi-year project that will correct six culverts under U.S. 101 in Washington — Jefferson and Clallam counties — to improve fish passage and migration in the area is under way as crews have removed and installed the first new barrier at Eagle Creek on the Olympic Peninsula. Construction crews are taking on this $110 million project that is expected to finish in late 2025. The first removal and installation took crews just five days total of around-theclock work to complete.

see CULVERT page 6

The work removes items such as too-small culverts under roadways to allow fish to move more freely through the area during migration, which helps protect and restore salmon runs, the landscape and the economy.

Your Pacific Northwest Connection – Sharon Swanson – 1-760-518-4336 – sswanson@cegltd.com

The Washington Department of Transportation recently announced that the first of six box culverts to be removed and rebuilt as part of a $110 million project is now complete.

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Completes Milestone of Abernethy Bridge Project

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) completed a new traffic roundabout in West Linn that connects OR 43 and northbound I-205.

The roundabout is a critical safety improvement for people walking, driving and rolling, marking a key milestone for the I-205 Abernethy Bridge Project, ODOT’s largest construction project in 45 years. Upon completion, the Abernethy Bridge will be the first earthquake ready highway bridge over the Willamette River in the Portland area. Users will benefit from a wider bridge, as well as safer and more efficient on- and off-ramps near the bridge. Improvements also are planned for bike and pedestrian routes. The full project is expected to be completed in 2025.

After construction, ODOT plans to collect tolls at the Abernethy Bridge to cover roughly half the project’s cost. Transportation funds collected statewide will pay the remainder. The new roundabout in West Linn is a critical step for this project.

“People living in West Linn and Clackamas County are going to see immediate value in the new roundabout and the other major infrastructure investments in their communities,” said Mandy Putney, director of strategic initiatives of ODOT’s urban mobility office. “This roundabout will improve capacity, traffic flow and safety for motorists who live in and travel through this part of the metro area, particularly during morning and evening rush hours. People walking, biking and rolling through the area will now have a safer route through the area with

Construction Crews Beginning to Ramp Up Work On OR 217 Improvement Job

Work on OR 217 is expected to ramp up the week after Labor Day at Hall Boulevard in Beaverton and at Greenburg Road in Tigard as crews continue work on the highway improvement project.

The directional closures mark important new steps in the OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes Project, which will improve safety and reduce bottlenecks between BeavertonHillsdale Highway and OR 99W.

Crews began work on Sept. 5 at Southwest Hall Boulevard in Beaverton. The closures will allow crews to set horizontal concrete box beams that will be part of the widened Hall Boulevard overpass over 217. The wider overpass will make way for sidewalks and bike lanes.

The project will construct auxiliary lanes in both directions of OR 217 between Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway and OR 99W. Auxiliary lanes are ramp-to-ramp connections that help reduce congestion by giving drivers more space and time to merge safely into the highway mainline. This decreases

conflicts, improves safety and the flow of traffic and ultimately allows the existing lanes to work more efficiently.

After the project is finished in late 2025, Oregon Department of Transportation is expected to save up to 73,000 hours of travel time a year with these improvements.

ODOT isn’t just making improvements to the highway. The project also will make the area surrounding OR 217 safer. In partnership with the city of Beaverton and Washington County, it is making targeted improvements to local bicycle and pedestrian routes.

The agency is extending the Fanno Creek Trail, widening the north sidewalk on the Denney Road overpass and building sidewalks and bicycle

lanes in both directions of Hall Boulevard from Cascade Avenue to Scholls Ferry Road. It also is completing the north/south bicycle and pedestrian network. 

(All photos courtesy of ODOT.)

shorter crossings and lower vehicle speeds.”

Roundabouts are safer than intersections that rely on stop signs and traffic signals because they have fewer vehicle and pedestrian conflict points. A traditional intersection has 32 possible points of collision, many of which are dangerous and high-speed. That’s compared to roundabouts that have only eight possible points of collision. Roundabouts also reduce crash severity and injuries in all crashes due to lower vehicle speeds.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, roundabouts are safer than traditional intersections, and have demonstrated they can result in a:

• 90 percent reduction in fatalities;

• 76 percent reduction in injuries;

• 35 percent reduction in crashes.

In addition, the analysis shows the roundabout may result in a 48 percent decrease in overall collisions. Other benefits include reduced pollution, lower traffic noise and fuel use through fewer stops and hard accelerations, as well as significant life-cycle cost savings due to no signal equipment installation, power or maintenance costs.

Other benefits include reduced pollution, lower traffic noise and fuel use through fewer stops and hard accelerations, as well as significant life-cycle cost savings due to no signal equipment installation, power or maintenance costs. 

(Photo courtesy of ODOT.)

Users will benefit from a wider bridge, as well as safer and more efficient on- and off-ramps near the bridge.

On four nights starting Sept. 5, OR 217 will see directional closures at SW Hall Boulevard in Beaverton.

SB OR 217 will be down to one lane, Scholls Ferry Road to Greenburg Road, during construction.

U.S. 101 to See Six Culvert Replacements for Fish Remedy

CULVERT from page 1

The work is part of WSDOT’s ongoing effort to remove barriers to fish under state highways. The work removes items such as too-small culverts under roadways to allow fish to move more freely through the area during migration, which helps protect and restore salmon runs, the landscape and the economy.

Eagle Creek is the first of six streams or tributaries that crews will be correcting during the next two years.

“We have so many fish barrier removal locations on the Olympic Peninsula, we’ve grouped several into bundled projects,” WSDOT’s Doug Adamson said in a statement. “This work near Gardiner [Eagle Creek] was one culvert in a project that has six locations. They are located over a 10mile section of U.S. 101 in both Clallam and Jefferson counties.

“Each culvert location is different,” Adamson added. “This includes right-of-way limitations, topography to nearby infrastructure and riparian habitat. There are many items considered when determining if a one-lane or two-lane bypass road will be used around the work zone. Another consideration is a signed detour.

“Eagle Creek was a tough location because of a nearby secondary culvert that is not known to have fish,” Adamson added. “The secondary culvert would have been impacted by construction. The tough decision was made to keep the bypass at one-lane, which meant crews used the accelerated ‘get in, get out’ approach.”

The other locations that will be corrected as part of this project include:

• Milepost 267.1 — Johnson Creek;

•Milepost 268.5 —Unnamed Tributary to Sequim Bay (Discovery Creek);

• Milepost 271.8 —Unnamed Tributary to Sequim Bay 2;

• Milepost 271.9 —Chicken Coop Creek;

• Milepost 277.9 — Contractors Creek.

Subcontracting activities included aggregate supply, asphalt paving, cable fence supply and installation, concrete, civil work, cold plane AC, concrete barrier, concrete pigmented sealing, concrete precast materials (arch, boxes and girders), construction survey, crane, dewatering, diversion pumps, drilling, erosion control, environmental BMP’s, fencing, furnish and install rebar, geotextile, girder hauling, green waste grinding, guardrail, landscaping, large woody material, logging, pipe supply, pumping concrete, quality control/quality assurance, sawcutting, shoring systems, signing/striping, site security, traffic control, trucking, wall supply, waterproofing and welding.

The second of six fish passage projects in the Sequim area is expected to begin Sept. 5.

“We have some more work to do,” Adamson wrote. “It mostly involves rebuilding the streambed to benefit all life cycles of fish. While we’ll still need some overnight oneway alternating traffic, major construction that affects travel is complete. Everyone working together helped ease some of the construction disruption.”

Project Necessity

A fish passage barrier is anything that hinders fish from moving upstream or downstream. Culverts allow water to flow but may not allow fish to swim through. Culverts may block fish migration because the water flow is too swift, too shallow or has a waterfall into or out of the culvert.

Crews correct fish barriers on state highways to help salmon recovery and comply with state laws. Since WSDOT

created a dedicated fish passage program in 1991, it has corrected hundreds of barriers that have restored access to more than 1,000 mi. of fish habitat. In addition to its ongoing work to correct statewide barriers, a 2013 federal court injunction required the state to correct barrier culverts to salmon and steelhead within the injunction area in western Washington. Opening habitat allows more salmon and steelhead at all life stages to access important spawning and rearing habitat, including areas that have been inaccessible for years. Installing structures like bridges and culverts that allow for natural stream processes help protect and restore salmon runs, ultimately benefiting both the Pacific Northwest landscape and economy.

(All photos courtesy of WSDOT.)

A total of six culverts will be corrected on U.S. 101 in Washington — Jefferson and Clallam counties.

Since WSDOT created a dedicated fish passage program in 1991, it has corrected hundreds of barriers that have restored access to more than 1,000 mi. of fish habitat.

The first removal and installation took crews just five days total of around-the-clock work to complete.

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Yanmar’s RDC in Washington Part of Nationwide Rollout

Yanmar America Corporation, a provider of tractors, UTVs and industrial equipment, announced the opening of its new regional distribution center (RDC) in Lakewood, Wash.

As the second step in Yanmar’s nationwide rollout plan, the 46,000 sq. ft. facility will serve Pacific Northwest dealers, including those in Alaska, with seamless access via the strategic Seattle Port. Yanmar’s newest RDC is poised to enhance the dealer-customer experience by ensuring a comprehensive product lineup and expedited product delivery times for customers, the manufacturer said.

The newly constructed center will distribute Yanmar’s YM, YT and SA series tractors and the company’s Bull and Brahma series UTVs as well as a wide range of attachments. This is expected to streamline dealer operations by minimizing the necessity to maintain high inventory levels on-site. Simultaneously, it will substantially reduce lead times for product delivery to customers, ensuring prompt order fulfillment.

The center’s improved inventory management and expedited delivery processes aim to enhance overall operational efficiency for both dealers and customers.

“We are excited to introduce our new regional distribution center in Lakewood,” said Jon Richardson, director of Yanmar America’s rural lifestyle division. “This facility represents a significant milestone in our commitment to providing exceptional service and support to our valued dealers and customers in the Pacific Northwest region. The RDC will enable us to offer a wide range of top-quality equipment and implements, ensuring that our customers have access to the tools they need to for success.” 

The 46,000 sq. ft. facility will serve Pacific Northwest dealers, including those in Alaska, with seamless access via the strategic Seattle Port.

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